Well tool hanger



Oct. 3, 1961 H. H. MOORE, JR 3,002,565

WELL TOOL. HANGER Filed Aug. 13, 1958 H H. M0ore,(//'.

INVENTOR.

BY Q 0%;

ATTORNEY nited States This invention relates to wire line well tools and more particularly to an improved retrievable hanger to he landed and removably latched on a receiver in a tubing string for the purpose of positioning a subsurface control device at a given depth within a well.

Excessive work burden and lost time have been experienced with well tool carriers heretofore available because the lock actuating mechanism, in response to shock and the absence of careful wire line manipulation, has tended to go to latching position in advance of proper alignment of the lock means with its mating keeper 1n the tubing string. The present improvement is concerned with a hanger or tool carrier comprising a pair of telescopically interfitter inner and outer tubular members which during a wire line installation are releasably locked together, with the inner member in an initially telescopically projected position relative to the outer member, until descent of the outer member is stopped by fitment to a tubing string receiver or landing nipple, whereupon and by simple surface control, the interlock can be released and the inner member dropped or slid downwardly to a telescopically retracted position within the stopped outer member and there secured until removal is desired and which telescopic retraction expands and holds outwardly a latching dog within a keeper notch therefor in the tubing string nipple.

An object of the invention is to provide a positively secured interlock between the initially projected latch expander member and the outer barrel member to preclude latch dog expansion and insure immobilization of the expander during tool descent and until the barrel reaches and is properly landed in the receiver therefor.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the following description having reference to the accompanying drawing in which FIG. 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in vertical cross section of the improved tool hanger with its parts interlocked preparatory to a running-in or lowering operation; FIG. 2 is a similar view but shows the hanger landed and latched in a tubing string nipple; and FIG. 3 is a transverse section as on line 3-3 of FIG. 1. p

While various arrangements of tool seating locators may be employed, the one shown in FIG. 2 is constituted by a nipple coupled into a well production tubing string with the nipple bore aligned with and constituting a part of the passage through the tubing string. The bore through the tool receiver nipple 1 is of slightly smaller internal diameter than any part of the tubing string thereabove and its upper internal corner, as at 2, affords an upwardly facing shoulder or landing seat for a subsurface tool assembly to be lowered into the well. Also, the internal surface of the nipple bore is carefully machined to a given diameter for proper fitment of a tool and for providing a smooth sealing surface, as at 3, for co-operation with annular packing rings carried by the tool body. At a given axial distance below the landing seat 2, the nipple is provided with an annular keeper notch 4 for reception of expansible latching dogs when a tool is to be anchored within the nipple.

Various types of subsurface well tools, such as chokes, valves, extension tubing and the like, can be located selectively by the nipple 1 and can be secured interchangeably or permanently, as desired, on a hanger structure which can be lowered and later raised by conventional wire line equipment and releasably latched atent C within the nipple, and the hanger here contemplated involves telescopically interfitted tubular members 5 and 6 sleeved one within the other.

At their lower ends both the inner and outer tubular members 5 and 6 are illustrated as being internally screw threaded for connection by one or both with any of several conventional well controlling or working tools, not shown. For convenience of manufacture and assembly, the outer tube or barrel 6 comprises a number of separately machined parts threaded together in end to end succession and comprised of a lower tool suspending section 7, an intermediate latch dog carrying section 8 and an upper nipple engaging locator and running-in tool engaging head section 9. The lowermost barrel section 7 conveniently is formed with an external annular recess within which are fitted a number of packing rings 10 arranged to make sealing contact with the interior nipple surface 3 in the operative position of the hanger assembly. An internally grooved portion at the lower end of the barrel section 7 provides a downwardly open pocket to be closed by a threaded-in bottom ring, such as a tubular part of the supported tool, and which pocket is for removable reception of a circular succession of arcuate ratchets 11 carrying a series of inwardly disposed ratchet teeth and being surrounded by one or more split ring or encircling coil springs 12 to exert a contracting force on the ratchets 1 1 and keep them in assembly bearing contact with the lower portion of the inner member or expander tube 5 when retained by a pocket closing ring or tubular part of a supported tool threaded into the bottom of the barrel section 7 as above described. These ratchets may be cast of aluminum or'other relatively soft metal and are for toothed engagement and positive interlocking relation with a mating set of ratchet teeth 13 exteriorly form-ed on the expander tube 5 near its lower end. This expander tube is of steel or other relatively hard metal and when itis eventually pushed downwardly, the teeth 13 ratchet past the teeth on the ratchets 11 and resist upward return movement of the expander tube relative to the outer barrel. When so held, an upward jar force imposed on the expander tube with the outer body held stationary will rip or shear the soft metal teeth and free the expander tube for relative upward movement. The ratchets 11 thus are expendable parts and must be replaced after each removal of a hanger from a well.

The intermediate barrel section 8 has one or more sets of axially spaced apart openings or lateral windows through its wall in which are mounted and laterally movable the spaced apart legs of a U-shaped'latching.

dog 14 which inwardly straddles the barrel wall between such openings for retention of the U-shaped latch. In the initial or outwardly telescoped position of the expander tube 5 relative to the barrel, the dogs 14 are aligned with and are received in an annular relieved portion 15 in the exterior surface of the tube 5. The radial dimension of thedogs is such that in this retracted position, their outer faces are substantially aligned with and do not project materially beyond the periphery of the barrel section 8. Just above the relieved portiorilS the expander tube is peripherally enlarged to provide a latch dog positioning control formation for transferring expander tube motion to the latch dogs 14. Such enlarged formation is an annular band projection 16 whose diameter is predetermined so that when the tube is moved downwardly relative to the barrel, the expander band 16 slides behind and expands the dogs 14 outwardly in the barrel for partial projection beyond the barrel periphery and for reception and latching co-operation within the nipple keeper notch 4, as is seen inFIG. 2. When so depressed to its downward limit, the latch dog expander formation or band 16 of the inner member 5 bottoms behind and bucks the expanded dogs against contraction.

The downward limit of expander tube sliding travel is established by abutment against the upper end face 17 of the barrel section 9 of the bottom face 18 of a spool-like tip member 19 secured on the upper end of the expander tube and terminated in a fishing head 20. The upper limit of expander tube travel is established by the abutment of an upwardly facing shoulder 21 afforded by the top edge of the expander band 16 with a downwardly facing seat 22 at the bottom edge of the barrel section 9. When these abutment seats 21 and 22 are together, an annular peripheral groove or dog engaging formation 23 in the expander tube and a dog locating window in the barrel section 9 are in radial alignment with one another and a laterally slidable dog 24 carried in the barrel window opening can be projected inwardly into locking reception within the groove 23. One or more of such locking dogs 24 may be provided and the outer face of each retracted dog is engageable with the inner face of a collar or ring 25 slidably fitted for limited relative axial movement within an annular groove in the barrel section 9. In its lower portion the slide collar locating groove is intersected by the dog locating window and the groove projects above the window a distance for a predetermined range of slide collar travel. The exterior diameter of the slide collar 25 exceeds that of the hanger barrel and, therefore, bore diameter of the nipple. When the barrel is nested in the nipple, the lower external corner of the collar constitutes an abutment shoulder or stop seat 26 to land on the nipple landing seat 2 and limit hanger descent.

Slide travel of the collar 25 within its restricted range amounts to somewhat less than the over-all axial length of the collar and is between the top and bottom margins of the collar receiving groove. The upper groove margin is afforded by the bottom face of an annular enlargement or overhanging flange 27 on the barrel section 9 and initially the collar is spaced below the flange 27 and is positioned at a lower limit in which the collar radially overlaps the outer face of the dog 24, as is seen in FIG. 1. This relative position is set by one or more shear pins 28 extending in openings drilled tangentially in each the collar 25 and the barrel section 9. When releasably held by the shear pins 28, the collar cannot move upwardly away from blocking relation to the inwardly projected locking dogs 24, and the inner barrel is retained at its upward limit of slide travel. Should the pins be released, then the slide collar 25 and the upper barrel section 9 can slide relative to one another until the stop ring 27 engages the upper edge of the stop collar 25. In this position the openings in the collar 25 containing the sheared pin fragments will become aligned with an annular groove 28' in the barrel section 9 to facilitate knockout of pin fragments. Also, in the upper position of the collar 25 its interior blocking surface will be above and out of interference with the dogs 24, whereby the dogs can shift laterally completely out of engagement with the keeper groove 23. Conveniently, the collar 25 has a downward extension or skirt which is inwardly relieved and remains in overlapping relation to the outer faces of the dogs and prevents their complete drop-out and loss. Clearance space for outward dog movement is provided, as shown at 29, by an interior rabbet at the lower inward corner of the collar 25. As just described, the abutment collar 25 functions both as a receiver engageable stop abutment member for landing engagement with a tool receiver, such as the tubing string nipple 1, and as a dog position control member which initially maintains the dog 24 in interlocking relation with both the latch carrying barrel 6 and the latch expander 5 but after the hanger assembly has been properly landed against further descent, then renders ineffective the dog interlocking action.

In the use of the hanger assembly described, the parts are adjusted to the relationship shown in FIG. 1 and held by the insertion of shear pins 28. After attachment to the subsurface control unit, the upper end of the barrel is fastened to a suitable running tool. A convenient form of tool is diagrammatically illustrated by dotted lines as comprising a hollow cupped member 31 suspended from a jar head 32 secured to the lower end of a wire line 33. The cup 31 is fitted over the fishing neck 19 with the lower end of the cup firmly seated against the annular flange 27 and secured, as by means of one or more shear pins 34, to the head of the barrel section 9. A wire line lowering-in operation proceeds until the hanger fits itself within the receiver or nipple 1 and the abutment collar 25 comes into seating engagement with the nipple landing shoulder 2, whereupon further descent is stopped with the contracted dogs 14 aligned or in approximate alignment with the latch keeper notch 4. Thereupon a downward jarring force transmitted through the running-in tool and into the barrel 9 will tend to shear the pins 28 for releasing the seated collar 25 from its fixed relation with the barrel. After such release, the barrel assembly can drop a short distance to take up the initial spacing between the collar 25 and the radial flange 27, whose abutment stops further downward travel of the barrel. Also, the raised collar 25 no longer will be in blocking relation with the dogs 24, and the dogs will be free to shift outwardly into the clearance provided by the rabbeted inner face 29 on the collar 25 for unlocking the expander tube 5 from the landed barrel. A downward hammer or jar on the head 20 of the expander tube will now push it down in the landed barrel, bringing the expander ring 16 behind the latching dogs 14 and also bringing the ratchet teeth 13 into locking securement with the expendable ratcheting elements 11 for holding the latching dogs 14 outwardly within their aligned keeper notch 4 and resisting displacement of the assembly. With the barrel so latched in position, an upward jar through the wire line will shear the fastening pins 34 and allow the running tool 31 to be brought back to the surface.

For a later retrievement of the parts, a conventional wire line fishing tool can be caused to grab the fishing head 20 and in response to an upward jar the frangible teeth on the ratchet 11 will be torn for releasing the expander tube 5 for upward movement, carrying the expander band 16 upwardly above the latching dogs 14 until the pick-up shoulder 21 on the expander tube abuts with the overhanging barrel shoulder 22 for carrying the barrel upwardly with the tube and for the inward camming of the latching dogs into the relief or clearance at 15 in the expander tube 5.

In particular, the present invention comprehends an arrangement for locking the expander tube in its initial upward position in the barrel against release from the barrel until the barrel has fitted itself and landed in a nipple. Srch release is dependent on the co-operation of the stop collar with the tubing string nipple as described, but it is to be understood that modifications of the preferred embodiment here disclosed can be made within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a well string nipple having a well tool landing seat and a tool latch receiving recess, a retrievable well tool for detachable mounting in said nipple, said tool including an axially slidable latch expander having a dog receiving keeper groove, a barrel sleeved on the expander, an expander projectable latch element carried by the barrel for reception in said recess, means to transmit expander slide movement to said latch and project the same, a laterally shiftable dog carried by the barrel and shiftable from an inward position within said keeper groove to an outward position clear of said keepergroove, a dog position control member slidably carried by said barrel for movement between a lower position in retentive engagement with said dog in the inward position of the latter and an upper position providing outward clearance for dog movement to its said outward position, a motion limit seat on said barrel engageable by said member at the upper position thereof, an abutment seat on said member engageable with the nipple landing seat to limit descent of said member and a releasable connection joining said member in its lower position to said barrel and releasable in response to downward force transmitted through the barrel and resistance thereto ofiered by the member when its abutment seat is engaged with the nipple landing seat.

2. In a well tool hanger, a latch carrying barrel, a latch carried thereby, a latch expander slidably fitted to the barrel, motion transfering means between said ex- I pander and said latch, a dog engaging formation on the expander, a laterally movable dog carried by the barrel and movable to and from interlocking relation with said dog engaging formation, a member provided with a receiver engageable stop abutment seat and slidably fitted to said barrel and axially movable between dog blocking position which constricts dog movement from said interlocking relation and another position out of blocking relation to dog movement from said interlocking relation, means on the barrel engageable with said member when the latter is in the last mentioned position to hold the barrel against downward movement relative to said member and a releasable connection initially holding said member to the barrel in dog blocking position.

3. In a well tool hanger, a latch expander having a dog keeper groove and a latch projecting formation peripherally thereof, a latch engageable by said formation, a latch carrying barrel slidably receiving said expander and accommodating expander slide movement between an initial position in which said formation is out of engagement with the latch and another position in which said formation is engaged with the latch and expands the same, said barrel having a reduced neck portion and a dog receiving opening through the wall of said reduced neck portion and in keeper groove alignment in said initial position of the latch expander, a landing collar provided with a receiver engageable stop abutment seat and slidably fitted to said neck portion and movable thereon between a lower position in which a portion of the collar radially overlies the outer end of said opening and restricts outward dog movement and an upper position in which said collar portion is above the opening and provides dog clearance space outwardly of the opening, a downwardly facing seat surface on the barrel engageable by the collar at said upper position thereof, a laterally shiftable dog in said opening, said dog fitting into the keeper groove and bearing outwardly on said portion of the collar when the latter is in its lower position and said dog being movable out of engagement with said keeper groove and into said dog clearance space when the collar is in its upper position and a releasable connection initially holding the collar in its lower position.

4. For landing latching a well tool in a well string receiver, a well tool barrel, a receiver engageable expansible latch carried by the barrel, a latch expander having a dog keeper groove and being axially slidable in said barrel from a latch release position to a latch expanding position, latch actuating means connected with the expander and active on the latch to expand the same in response to such change in expander position, a laterally shiftable dog carried by the barrel in alignment with said keeper groove in the latch release position of the expander, an abutment member provided with a receiver engageable stop abutment seat and axially slidably mounted on the barrel and provided with a dog overlapping'portion engageable in one position with the dog to confine the same inwardly in expander retention reception within said keeper groove and said abutment member being slidable to another position in which said portion is away from overlapping relation with the dog and accommodates lateral shift of the dog clear of said keeper groove and slide stop means on the barrel engageable with said abutment member at the last mentioned position.

5. A retrievable well tool for fitment to a well string receiver and comprising a latch expander tube having a peripheral keeper groove, latch positioning means on said tube, a latch actuated thereby, a barrel mounting said latch in co-operative relation with said positioning means and surrounding said tube and accommodating relative slide travel thereof between an upper position and a lower latch expanding position, a laterally shiftable retainer dog carried by said barrel in interlocking engagement with said keeper groove when the expander tube is at said upper position, said barrel having an external groove and a dog receiving opening intersecting the lower portion of said external groove and into which groove the dog extends when shifted outwardly from interlocking engagement with said keeper groove, a stop collar provided with a receiver engageable stop abutment seat and slidably positioned within said external groove and movable therein from a lower position in which a portion of said collar is laterally aligned with said opening and blocks outward shift of the dog and to an upper position in which said portion of the collar rises above said opening and frees the dog to shift outwardly from keeper groove engagement and a releasable connection initially holding said collar in its lower position until the barrel is forced downwardly relative to the receiver abutment collar.

6. A well tool as described in claim 5 wherein said stop collar has its lower portion internally rabbeted to provide dog receiving clearance within the external groove when the collar is raised to its upper position, the rabbeted por tion of the collar also providing a dog retaining wall outwardly beyond said clearance.

7. A well tool as described in claim 5 wherein said releasable connection is a shearable pin having portions fitted respectively to the barrel and to said collar and said barrel has a peripherally relieved portion within said external groove and with which relieved portion a broken shear pin portion in the collar can be aligned for pin portion extraction when the collar has been slid upwardly within said external groove.

8. In a well tool hanger to be landed and latched in a tubing string receiver, a latch carrying member, a latch carried thereby, a latch expander member having latch actuating means and being telescopically fitted to the latch carrying member for relative travel between latch retracted and expanded settings, a stop element provided with a receiver engageable stop abutment seat and movably carried by one of said members for limited axial movement relative thereto, said stop element and said one of the members having interengageable stop surfaces defining the extent of such limited relative movement, a lock element engageable with both members at the latch retracted setting of the expander member and thereby holding said members against relative travel, means movable with said stop element and cooperating with the lock element to retain the same in interlocking engagement with both members at one limit of stop element movement and to free the lock element from'rnember interlocking engagement upon stop element movement from said limit and a releasable connection initially holding said stop abutment against movement relative to one of said members at said limit of stop element movement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,092,508 Robinson Apr. 7, 1914 2,229,581 McLaughlin Jan. 21, 1941 2,251,125 Gardner July 29, 1941 2,368,401 Baker Jan. 30, 1945 2,401,119 Taylor May 28, 1946 

